PESHAWAR: Pakistani prison authorities have moved the jailed doctorbelieved to have helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden, his attorneysaid on Saturday, speculating it could be a prelude to his release.
The continued imprisonment of Dr. Shakil Afridi has long been a source oftension between Pakistan and the United States, which cut military aid overaccusations Pakistan continues to shelter Taliban militants fighting U.S.and Afghan soldiers across the border in Afghanistan. Islamabad deniesallegations.
A jail official in the northwestern city of Peshawar told Reuters oncondition of anonymity that Afridi had been transferred to Adiala prison inRawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, but said the reasons were unclearand could simply be security-related.
Afridi’s lawyer, Qamar Nadeem, confirmed the transfer of his client butsaid he was not sure where he was now. Judicial officials could not bereached on Saturday, nor could embassy officials for the United States,which has for years called on Pakistan to release Afridi.
Afridi was accused of treason after word spread he had helped the CIAcollect genetic samples of the bin Laden family, paving the way for a U.S.Navy Seal raid in 2011 in the town of Abbottabad that killed the al Qaedaleader accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United Statesthat killed nearly 3,000 people.
He was arrested days after the U.S. operation – which Pakistan called aviolation of its sovereignty – and charged with aiding terrorists.
Afridi was sentenced to 23 years’ jail for financing terrorism. Thatconviction was overturned in 2013, but he is still serving time for otherterrorism-related convictions, his lawyer said.
He also faced a murder trial related to the death of a patient more than adecade ago.
However, the layer said Afridi had recently had his latest sentence reducedto seven years in a clemency action, and had served about that amount oftime already.
“So I think he can be released very soon,” Nadeem told Reuters.
There were no other immediate indications of any release in the works,however. – Agencies